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I sincerely hope these personal letters, intimate and
private as they were, make very plain the way my son and I really
feel toward each other -- and how painful and difficult it has
been for me and our Boards to have found it necessary to take the
disciplinary action we did. But in my office within the Church of
God, I cannot be a respecter of persons, even though Ted is my
very deeply loved son. The ministry of this Church must at all
times be held above reproach.
The Boards and I did, as a result of this letter, receive
him back. But subsequent events, attitude and conduct, to our
great dismay, demonstrated to the Board members, ministers, and
myself that the process of repentance was not yet complete. Even
as John the Baptist had required the evidence of fruits to prove
repentance and its permanency, so we were obliged -- to uphold
the integrity of this Work in God's sight -- to require. And we
so advised the entire membership of the Worldwide Church of God.
These Board members, ministers and I have worked endlessly to
help him. But we had to come to realize, as did my son also, that
he must take a considerable period of time to regain his spiritual
strength and stability, before he can even contemplate the
resumption of his heavy responsibilities, or duties in preaching
and broadcasting.
We know that God is still on his throne -- that the
living Christ is the real Head of this Work -- that He is still
at the helm, guiding, leading, inspiring, and blessing His Work
through the Body of Christ, His Church. This is the Work of God
-- not of Herbert W. Armstrong or Garner Ted Armstrong, or any
MAN. The membership worldwide is praying for the complete,
permanent repentance of Garner Ted Armstrong.
Co-Workers and Brethren, I hope you can realize how
painful it has been for me to bare this before you.
God spared not His Son Jesus Christ, but sacrificed Him
for the salvation of the world. I love my son Ted very deeply,
too -- and the more so, through this terrible trauma. I hope
with all my heart that soon we may know by the fruits that he has
been restored by the power of God to full and permanent repentance.
I am in close contact with him. I feel he is making good progress
now. But God does not compromise and we in His Work cannot.
Co-Workers and Brethren, I want you to realize that when
in this Ministry we preach of RIGHTEOUSNESS, we mean it, even
though it involves such disciplinary action right at the very top
of the Ministry. No matter how difficult this trauma has been on
all of us, especially me as Ted's father, we do not, and have not,
ever knowingly compromised with the Word of God.
I want you to know that you may have full confidence in
the integrity of the leadership, which the living Christ Himself
has chosen and set in office under Him. Satan has planned this
as his Master Stroke to try to DESTROY the Work of the living God.
He has not succeeded.
I repeat -- OUR GOD IS ON HIS THRONE! He is still at